Valkyria Chronicles III
Encyclopedia
Valkyria Chronicles III, known in Japan as is a tactical role-playing game
, developed and published by Sega
for the PlayStation Portable
. It is the third game in the Valkyria Chronicles series and was released on January 27, 2011 in Japan.
An updated version of the game, titled Senjō no Valkyria 3: Unrecorded Chronicles Extra Edition was released in Japan on November 23, 2011.
Occurring in the same time frame as the first game, Valkyria Chronicles III is a side story
that follows the exploits of an unwanted and castigated Gallian Army squad during the Imperial invasion of 1935. Contrasting the previous games' bright outlook and recognition for their protagonists, Valkyria Chronicles III explores the themes of being outcast and the search for redemption. As described by its catchphrase, the game tells "The tale of nameless soldiers who, on the verge of despair, changed history."
As of November 2011, there has been no localization announcement, presumably due to the PSP's dwindling popularity in the US along with lower than expected sales of Valkyria Chronicles 2. However, there have been rumors that the game could be potentially released as a Vita title or part of a PS3 HD remaster series.
of the local area the player's forces are currently active in, changing in appearance to match the shifting overall situation between the Nameless and their enemies. Points of interest are marked on the maps by pins of various colors and other symbols, indicating such things as the player's home base, the locations of currently selectable battles, and intermittent cutscenes
. By achieving victory in missions and viewing events, the player advances through the game's story. At times the player may be presented with a choice between missions to complete or differing objectives to accomplish during battle. According to the choices the player makes in these situations, subsequent events are altered, ultimately leading to divergent game endings, a first in the series.
In battle, the game retains the major elements of the BLiTZ System used in both previous titles of the series. The player is given an overview of the current situation via an overhead map during Command Mode. Within a mission, each map is but one among a collection of areas interconnected by enemy encampments that can be captured and used by the player. Across all available areas, the player may have up to nine units actively deployed at any time. By spending their Command Points during Command Mode, the player is able to order individual allied units to action, directly controlling them in a realistic 3D environment in Action Mode. While in Action Mode, said units can move, attack enemies, and perform other actions available to them depending on their surroundings, such as crouch behind sandbag barriers or conceal themselves in tall grass. Command Points can also be used to issue Orders that can boost units' statistics, remotely attack enemies, or provide other special effects. When all of the player's Command Points have been spent, or the player elects to end their turn, the Player Phase ends and the Enemy Phase begins, with the game's artificial intelligence
moving the opposing forces' units according to the same rules as the player's. Units equipped with appropriate weapons can defend themselves by laying down interception fire when enemy units step into their line of sight, as well as provide supporting fire for nearby friendly units during their attack. Brand new to Valkyria Chronicles III is the addition of character-unique Special Powers, accessible by Kurt, Imca, and Riela. Use of these Special Powers requires Special Points that are far less numerous than Command Points and do not replenish as turns pass, placing a strict limit on how they may be used during any one mission.
When at the Nameless' Home Base, menus detailing the growth and customization of the squad's infantry
and vehicles can be accessed. Experience points and money earned by completing missions are used to improve characters' statistics and equipment, respectively. While in previous titles of the series infantry were confined to a specific class type, Valkyria Chronicles III enables players to change all characters' class by altering their equipment. When changing classes that character's statistics also change to match parameters typical to that class, but each individual has a preference for a specific class type or types where their statistics are boosted overall. Through use of experience points, general attributes for all infantry can be increased across four categories: Stamina, Marksmanship, Agility, and Anti-Personnel or Anti-Armor Combat. Experience can also be used to learn new Orders, if available. Each character also has a set of Potentials that can be divided into two categories: Personal Potentials and Battle Potentials. While Personal Potentials are unique and cannot be changed, Battle Potentials are learned through a new system called the Master Table, viewed as a chess
board with individual pieces representing Potentials to be learned. By learning new Battle Potentials in combat by performing various actions, those Potentials' pieces light up, tracing lines around the board. More powerful High Potentials are gained by following paths where lines from different class types can intersect. The squad's tank
can be extensively customized, with a number of armaments and other parts available to be equipped to the tank, limited by how much weight each part adds to the tank's chassis.
composed of criminals, foreign deserters, and military offenders whose real names are erased from the records and thereon officially referred to by numbers. Ordered by the Gallian military to perform the most dangerous missions that the Regular Army and Militia will not do, they are nevertheless up to the task, exemplified by their motto, Altaha Abilia, meaning "Always Ready." The three main characters are No.7 Kurt Irving, an army officer falsely accused of treason who wishes to redeem himself; Ace No.1 Imca, a female Darcsen heavy weapons specialist who seeks revenge against the Valkyria who destroyed her home; and No.13 Riela Marcellis, a seemingly jinxed young woman who is unknowingly a descendant of the Valkyria. Together with their fellow squad members, these three are tasked to fight against a mysterious Imperial unit known as Calamity Raven, consisting of mostly Darcsen soldiers.
As the Nameless officially do not exist, the upper echelons of the Gallian Army exploit the concept of plausible deniability
in order to send them on missions that would otherwise make Gallia lose face internationally. While at times this works to their advantage, such as a successful incursion into Imperial territory, other orders cause certain members of the 422nd great distress. One such member, Gusurg, becomes so enraged that he abandons his post and defects into the ranks of Calamity Raven, attached to the ideal of Darcsen independence proposed by their leader, Dahau. At the same time, elements within Gallian Army Command move to erase the Nameless in order to protect their own interests. Hounded by both ally and enemy, the 422nd desperately move to keep themselves alive while at the same time fight to help the Gallian war effort. Eventually the Nameless's commanding officer, Ramsey Crowe, who had been kept under house arrest, is escorted to the capital city of Randgriz in order to present evidence exonerating the weary soldiers and expose a true traitor.
Partly due to these events, and partly due to the major losses in manpower Gallia suffers towards the end of the war with the Empire, the Nameless are offered a formal position as a squad in the Gallian Army rather than serve as an anonymous shadow force. This is short-lived, however, as following Maximilian's defeat, Dahau and Calamity Raven move to activate an ancient Valkyrian super weapon within the Empire, kept secret by their benefactor. Without the support of Maximilian or the chance to prove themselves in the war with Gallia, it is Dahau's last trump card in creating a new Darcsen nation. As an armed Gallian force invading the Empire just following the two nations' cease-fire would certainly wreck their newfound peace, Kurt decides to once again make his squad the Nameless, asking Crowe to list himself and all under his command as killed-in-action. Now owing allegiance to none other than themselves, the 422nd confronts Dahau and destroys the Valkyrian weapon. Each member then goes their separate ways in order to begin their lives anew.
listed that Valkyria Chronicles III would be arriving on the Playstation Portable. On September 16, the official Valkyria Chronicles III website was launched to the public with a developers' blog, coinciding with the announcement of the game in the 2010 Tokyo Game Show
.
, the game sold approximately 100,000 units during its premier week, surpassing the initial sales of both its predecessors.
and Blu-Ray in 2011. The first episode will be released on June 29, with the second following on August 31. Both volumes of the OVA will be made available in two separate editions, a "Black Package" and "Blue Package," each with their own distinct cover illustrations and bonus contents. While the first episode of the OVA was planned to have an advance release via the PlayStation Network and Qriocity
in April of 2011, the outage
of those services prevented its digital distribution not long after it began.
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
, developed and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. It is the third game in the Valkyria Chronicles series and was released on January 27, 2011 in Japan.
An updated version of the game, titled Senjō no Valkyria 3: Unrecorded Chronicles Extra Edition was released in Japan on November 23, 2011.
Occurring in the same time frame as the first game, Valkyria Chronicles III is a side story
Side story
A side story is a story that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. As opposed to a prequel, sequel, or interquel, a side story takes place within the same time frame as an existing work....
that follows the exploits of an unwanted and castigated Gallian Army squad during the Imperial invasion of 1935. Contrasting the previous games' bright outlook and recognition for their protagonists, Valkyria Chronicles III explores the themes of being outcast and the search for redemption. As described by its catchphrase, the game tells "The tale of nameless soldiers who, on the verge of despair, changed history."
As of November 2011, there has been no localization announcement, presumably due to the PSP's dwindling popularity in the US along with lower than expected sales of Valkyria Chronicles 2. However, there have been rumors that the game could be potentially released as a Vita title or part of a PS3 HD remaster series.
Gameplay
The main menu interface of Valkyria Chronicles III is styled after a strategic mapMap
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
of the local area the player's forces are currently active in, changing in appearance to match the shifting overall situation between the Nameless and their enemies. Points of interest are marked on the maps by pins of various colors and other symbols, indicating such things as the player's home base, the locations of currently selectable battles, and intermittent cutscenes
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
. By achieving victory in missions and viewing events, the player advances through the game's story. At times the player may be presented with a choice between missions to complete or differing objectives to accomplish during battle. According to the choices the player makes in these situations, subsequent events are altered, ultimately leading to divergent game endings, a first in the series.
In battle, the game retains the major elements of the BLiTZ System used in both previous titles of the series. The player is given an overview of the current situation via an overhead map during Command Mode. Within a mission, each map is but one among a collection of areas interconnected by enemy encampments that can be captured and used by the player. Across all available areas, the player may have up to nine units actively deployed at any time. By spending their Command Points during Command Mode, the player is able to order individual allied units to action, directly controlling them in a realistic 3D environment in Action Mode. While in Action Mode, said units can move, attack enemies, and perform other actions available to them depending on their surroundings, such as crouch behind sandbag barriers or conceal themselves in tall grass. Command Points can also be used to issue Orders that can boost units' statistics, remotely attack enemies, or provide other special effects. When all of the player's Command Points have been spent, or the player elects to end their turn, the Player Phase ends and the Enemy Phase begins, with the game's artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
moving the opposing forces' units according to the same rules as the player's. Units equipped with appropriate weapons can defend themselves by laying down interception fire when enemy units step into their line of sight, as well as provide supporting fire for nearby friendly units during their attack. Brand new to Valkyria Chronicles III is the addition of character-unique Special Powers, accessible by Kurt, Imca, and Riela. Use of these Special Powers requires Special Points that are far less numerous than Command Points and do not replenish as turns pass, placing a strict limit on how they may be used during any one mission.
When at the Nameless' Home Base, menus detailing the growth and customization of the squad's infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and vehicles can be accessed. Experience points and money earned by completing missions are used to improve characters' statistics and equipment, respectively. While in previous titles of the series infantry were confined to a specific class type, Valkyria Chronicles III enables players to change all characters' class by altering their equipment. When changing classes that character's statistics also change to match parameters typical to that class, but each individual has a preference for a specific class type or types where their statistics are boosted overall. Through use of experience points, general attributes for all infantry can be increased across four categories: Stamina, Marksmanship, Agility, and Anti-Personnel or Anti-Armor Combat. Experience can also be used to learn new Orders, if available. Each character also has a set of Potentials that can be divided into two categories: Personal Potentials and Battle Potentials. While Personal Potentials are unique and cannot be changed, Battle Potentials are learned through a new system called the Master Table, viewed as a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
board with individual pieces representing Potentials to be learned. By learning new Battle Potentials in combat by performing various actions, those Potentials' pieces light up, tracing lines around the board. More powerful High Potentials are gained by following paths where lines from different class types can intersect. The squad's tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
can be extensively customized, with a number of armaments and other parts available to be equipped to the tank, limited by how much weight each part adds to the tank's chassis.
Plot
The game takes place during the Second Europan War. Gallian Army Squad 422, also known as "The Nameless", are a penal military unitPenal military unit
Penal battalions, penal companies, etc., are military formations consisting of convicted persons for which military service in such units was either the assigned punishment or an alternative to imprisonment or the death penalty.-Nazi Germany:...
composed of criminals, foreign deserters, and military offenders whose real names are erased from the records and thereon officially referred to by numbers. Ordered by the Gallian military to perform the most dangerous missions that the Regular Army and Militia will not do, they are nevertheless up to the task, exemplified by their motto, Altaha Abilia, meaning "Always Ready." The three main characters are No.7 Kurt Irving, an army officer falsely accused of treason who wishes to redeem himself; Ace No.1 Imca, a female Darcsen heavy weapons specialist who seeks revenge against the Valkyria who destroyed her home; and No.13 Riela Marcellis, a seemingly jinxed young woman who is unknowingly a descendant of the Valkyria. Together with their fellow squad members, these three are tasked to fight against a mysterious Imperial unit known as Calamity Raven, consisting of mostly Darcsen soldiers.
As the Nameless officially do not exist, the upper echelons of the Gallian Army exploit the concept of plausible deniability
Plausible deniability
Plausible deniability is, at root, credible ability to deny a fact or allegation, or to deny previous knowledge of a fact. The term most often refers to the denial of blame in chains of command, where upper rungs quarantine the blame to the lower rungs, and the lower rungs are often inaccessible,...
in order to send them on missions that would otherwise make Gallia lose face internationally. While at times this works to their advantage, such as a successful incursion into Imperial territory, other orders cause certain members of the 422nd great distress. One such member, Gusurg, becomes so enraged that he abandons his post and defects into the ranks of Calamity Raven, attached to the ideal of Darcsen independence proposed by their leader, Dahau. At the same time, elements within Gallian Army Command move to erase the Nameless in order to protect their own interests. Hounded by both ally and enemy, the 422nd desperately move to keep themselves alive while at the same time fight to help the Gallian war effort. Eventually the Nameless's commanding officer, Ramsey Crowe, who had been kept under house arrest, is escorted to the capital city of Randgriz in order to present evidence exonerating the weary soldiers and expose a true traitor.
Partly due to these events, and partly due to the major losses in manpower Gallia suffers towards the end of the war with the Empire, the Nameless are offered a formal position as a squad in the Gallian Army rather than serve as an anonymous shadow force. This is short-lived, however, as following Maximilian's defeat, Dahau and Calamity Raven move to activate an ancient Valkyrian super weapon within the Empire, kept secret by their benefactor. Without the support of Maximilian or the chance to prove themselves in the war with Gallia, it is Dahau's last trump card in creating a new Darcsen nation. As an armed Gallian force invading the Empire just following the two nations' cease-fire would certainly wreck their newfound peace, Kurt decides to once again make his squad the Nameless, asking Crowe to list himself and all under his command as killed-in-action. Now owing allegiance to none other than themselves, the 422nd confronts Dahau and destroys the Valkyrian weapon. Each member then goes their separate ways in order to begin their lives anew.
Development
In September 2010, a teaser website was revealed by Sega, hinting at a new Valkyria Chronicles game. In its September issue, FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
listed that Valkyria Chronicles III would be arriving on the Playstation Portable. On September 16, the official Valkyria Chronicles III website was launched to the public with a developers' blog, coinciding with the announcement of the game in the 2010 Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
.
Reception
On its day of release in Japan, Valkyria Chronicles III topped sales charts both for its native PlayStation Portable and across multi-platform statistics. While second overall to The Last StoryThe Last Story
is an action role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and AQ Interactive, and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game's name and logo have been noted to be very similar to the Final Fantasy series, which was created by Mistwalker's head, Hironobu Sakaguchi....
, the game sold approximately 100,000 units during its premier week, surpassing the initial sales of both its predecessors.
Anime
Two OVA episodes based on Valkyria Chronicles III will be released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-Ray in 2011. The first episode will be released on June 29, with the second following on August 31. Both volumes of the OVA will be made available in two separate editions, a "Black Package" and "Blue Package," each with their own distinct cover illustrations and bonus contents. While the first episode of the OVA was planned to have an advance release via the PlayStation Network and Qriocity
Qriocity
Sony Entertainment Network , formerly called Qriocity , is a trading name for Sony Corporation's streaming music, games, e-books and video on demand services. A video streaming service with the name has been available in the United States since April 2010...
in April of 2011, the outage
PlayStation Network outage
The PlayStation Network outage was the result of an "external intrusion" on Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, in which personal details from approximately 77 million accounts were stolen and prevented users of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles from playing online...
of those services prevented its digital distribution not long after it began.